David Matthews
April 10, 2018
Deborah Weinswig is one of the most influential voices in the retail industry. As the top retail industry analyst for many years for institutional investors, she has become a key resource for understanding the key drivers of the retail industry’s ongoing transformation. Her team at Coresight Research covers global developments around the intersection of technology and retail from their offices in North America, Asia, and Europe.
I first met Deborah when she spoke at a retail technology conference, sponsored by Toshiba, in New York in 2016. I was at the end of a long line of adoring fans waiting to say hello after her amazing keynote speech, so the initial conversation was brief.
During a brief follow-up call the following week, Deborah mentioned she would be in Dallas the following month to cover JCPenney’s annual shareholder meeting. I jumped on the opportunity to have a 1-on-1 meeting with her during that trip, but had difficulty scheduling a time. Getting creative, I phoned Deborah’s assistant and offered to be her “Uber driver” to the airport. The assistant thought this was so funny that she made it happen!
That’s how I was able to get 30 minutes of Deborah’s undivided attention and successfully recruit her to RevTech’s Board of Advisors! She is a valuable advocate by being a known and respected resource to so many retail industry CEO’s.
I offer up this story as inspiration to all the entrepreneurs we work with. It’s important to be persistent and creative when it comes to connecting with those people that can be instrumental to your mission.